I was down kiting in Costa Rica recently.
One session I was riding a 10 m kite (4 line bar) in 20 - 25 kt winds (73 kg).
My kite went down and tumbled and my front and rears lines were crossed. Since I was in shoulder depth water I thought not a big deal I will walk the kite the 75 m back to shore with the kite at the edge of the wind window closet to the beach. As I started to head to shore the wind picked up and started to gust to ~40 kts. The kite started to lift and wanted to go 'wild'. So I thought better to release the chicken loop. I have my safety attached to the ring below the CL. I have a lot of throw in my bar and usually have the stopper more then a meter away from the chicken loop. The kite was still sitting at the edge of the window fluttering but took off and went right across the wind window lifting me thourgh the air. Now the kite was sitting at the opposite edge away from shore which was OK. As I approached shore there was a certified kite instructor (wearing harness) on shore talking to a student (no kite). I called out to them for help and she came over. I said to her I wanted her to run out and grab the kite. It was ankle deep water (23 m to kite) . She said no just keep walking up on shore and she would grab it when it reached shore. I could see the kite fluttering like crazy and said no please go out and grab the kite. I believe she would be in no danger as she would be up wind of the kite and lines at all times. She continued to say no. I was worried that if the kite decided to power through the wind window then I could get launched into a near by tree. I couldn't argue with her forever so I started walking backwards pulling the safety leash. I went about 5 m and the kite took off. Luckily it only went up about 10 m but it happened so fast and powerful I was launched 3m into the air and landed head first into the hard sand. Luckily I was wearing a helmet and only had a sore neck the following morning. The kite was pushed into shore at that time and the instructor then grabbed it. I have been kiting for 10 yrs and am a strong intermediate. In my view the only two safe options in these conditions were 1. grab the kite 2. release the safety.
Would you have done anything differently?

Did you ever activate the safety release to flag the kite? I'm confused when you said walking backwards pulling the safety. I'm glad your ok.
It never fails to amaze me how people cannot recognize a serious issue(not you,Her) and not come to the aid of a fellow kitesurfer. I'd have called her every fucking name I could think of. What a douche bag!
I hope you had a great trip. Email me the details ,I'm thinking of going.

Sounds like suicide leash to me.
Was it suicide or front line flagging leash?
And what kite? it matters (not as much though)...
Anyway, if suicide, bad idea for the conditions.
Sounds like it was suicide.
Suicide leash only works on the water, sort of.
Not so much on land.
By walking backwards with the kite dangling on the leash, you were effectively trying to fly the kite with one line, pretty much identical to if you tried to fly a kite by grabbing the CL. Can't do that with lines right, much less with crossed lines.
To control the kite, you need to control the lines. Have to get back to the bar.
In this situation, you might have succeeded if you walked downwind at the kite while going hand over hand up the leash, keeping the kite from developing power, and being careful to keep it from tumbling also -tricky situation! Then try to depower with trim and bar, leash to flagging line, try to land.... etc. Or if you are brave and the wind is light (not you case above) go hand over hand up a front line until the kite is killed.
If you got back to the bar, at least you would have some chance to fly the kite and control it.
Also, help from strangers is nice, but you can't rely on it.
I wouldn't use the suicide set-up, either, but if you do, launch with a normal flagging leash, transfer to suicide when you are in "safe" open water, and back to a flagging when you are coming in.

Any time the lines are all messed up, you have the challenge to figure out how to get all the lines except one to be slack, by any means neccessary, if possible, or you may have to ditch the kite. A good leash set up usually does it, suicide doesn't.

you are leashed suicide and then unhook and drop the bar in 40+ gusts as a safety manuever? You are not getting any sympathy this time bro. You are supposed to move the leash to the o-shit or if there isn't time let the kite go save your nugget.

I didn't have the kite in a suicide set-up just safety hooked into ring under CL.
Safety flags to front lines.
2010 OR Rise 10 m with 2012 Freestyle bar (new)
I wouldn't have wanted to put the kite back into the air with 40 kt gusts and being relatively close to shore.
I wasn't initially thinking when I put the kite to the edge of the window while the lines were twisted that I should/could switch the release point of the safety leash to an O-shit handle.
Things happened pretty quickly.
Big winds blasting through, lines twisted, kite bouncing violently at the edge of the window, 75 m from shore. I thought a good option was to release the CL.
I know this doesn't give you 100% depower on a 4 line kite and knew the kite could still power up in these conditions which it did, popping me out of the water as it went through the window.
I knew at that point this is serious business.

OK I get it, sorry if I made a bad assumption.
If I were you, I would look into the possibility of using a single front line safety with that kite.
Some kites may not "like" that, but most kites will flag out well on a single front line.
Just me, but I wouldn't ride with anything that didn't.
In fact, I like to use a slingshot bar, which gives minimum 3 options to kill a wild kite: the front line safety, OSH each side, and the possibility of rigging a 5th line -a 4th option! Of course, enough wraps and none of these will work.

Yeah, you were in a tough spot. No system is foolproof, but it wouldn't hurt to expand your leash options if compatible with your kites.

every 4 line kite has a front line safety system built in. all you have to do is bring the kite to the edge of the window, grab the front line of the down side and pull that one front line hand over hand. the kite will flag out on its back and that is the end of it. the more wind, the better it works. Think about what your doing,kiting isn't that hard.